File-case.



J. W. PENNEWILL. PILE CASE. APPLIUATION PILEp JULY 11, 1911.

1,060,020. Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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Specieaton of Letters Patent.

. Application filed July 11, 1911.

Patented Apr. 29, igi.,

Ser'al No. 687,883.

To all whom, 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. PENNE- WILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Silver City, in the county of Grant, State of New Mexico, have invented a new and Improved File-Case, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to tiling cases or cabinets and it has for' its object to produce a ling case or cabinet having adjustable means for positioning, holding and indexing the contents thereof, of simple form and construction, whereby the contents of the case while at all times freely accessible and removable, will when in the case be held compactly, and in proper position therein.

A further object is to provide novel index rods so constructed as to be 'securely held against accidental displacement, but freely movable toward and from each other when required to adjust them to the contents of the case. -Further objects will be pointed out hereinafter. v

To lthe above ends my invention consists of the improved filing case or cabinet, and the devices and combinations of devices which will be hereinafter described and claimed. f

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a filing case or cabinet embodying the invention, looking at the open front of the case; Fig. 2 shows a vertical transverse section through theframe, certain parts being in elevation; Fig. 3 shows a fragmentary -sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a bottom plan view of the retaining device for the lower ends of the index rods; and Fig. 5 shows a modified form of index rod.

The cabinet comprises a suitable frame or casing. of any desired size, and it may be a single section such as shown 1n the drawing designed as a desk case or cabinet, or it may comprise a lurality of such sections built into or against partition walls, or in any place where the space is suitable.

As shown in the drawing the case or frame A is formed of wood and is open at the front, and has a bottom A', a top A2, a back Aa and suitable ends A4, held together 1n any suitable manner.

As shown in the drawing the top A2 is somewhat narrower than the bottom A', and along its front edge there extends a bar B, 1t belng secured at its ends in the sides A directly over a longitudinal slot A5 in the forwardly extending pontion of the bottom A.

The envelops or documents or other articles to be filed and indexed, are inserted in the open front of the case in the usual manner, and for the urpose of dividing them into groups accor ing to their contents and to properly index the various groups, there are provided' the index rods B which at their upper ends are provided with the open hooks B2, which havethe ends of the bills preferably flattened as shown at b, and bear suitable index characters, such as the letters of the alphabet as shown, or numerals or other appropriate and required indices.

The index rods B are suspended upon the bar B, and at their lower ends are angularly bent as at b5, and take into the slot A5, the arrangement being such that they may be freely moved alon the bar B and the slot A5 when desired, or the purpose of adjusting their relative positions to each other without the necessity of removing them from engagement with the bar B.

In order to prevent the accidental disengagement of the hooks B2 from the bar B, the angularly bent ends b5 are slightly longer than the width of the slot A5, and at intervals along said slot in one edge thereof, are provided the notches C, of a length to permit. the free passage therethrough, of the angularly bent ends?)3 in removing and inserting the rods B. A retaining device comprising a turn button D having a flange .or collar d, with a peripheral notch d', is

pivotally mounted uponthe under side of the bottom A', with its peripheral edge adjacent the notched edge of the slot A5, at each point where there is provided a notch C.

When the notched collar d is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and l of the drawin it closes the notches C and prevents the with-4 drawal of the lower ends of the index rods from the slot A5, but should the turn button D be turned so as to bring the notch d in the flange or collar al, in register with the notches C in the edge of the slot A5, the lower ends of the index rods may be disconnected from the slot A5, and their hooked upper ends lifted from the bar B. A plurahty of notches C may be provided as shown, in which event a retaining device D would be provided for each notch. To facilitate -the turning of the turn button D it may be provided with a milled head as shown. v

The case may be found to be deeper than is required for the particular size of envelops, or document which it is desired to place therein at any given time, and in order to adapt it for use with various sizes of envelops and documents, it is provided with anl adjustable back sto E, comprising a light frame composed o the longitudinally extending parallel bars e of a length to extend from and to the end of a compartment of the case, and united by the cross bars e2. The bars e at their ends fit into notches or seats e3 formed along the lower edge, of the horizontally extending grooves e4 in the inner faces of the ends A4 of the case. By means of these grooves and notches the back s to E imay be adjusted to diiferent positions with relation to the front of the case.

In order that it shall beheld securely in that position to which it may have been adjusted, one of the grooves @fis made longer than the other and dove-tail in shape in cross section, and has iitted to slide therein a bevel edged slide c5 provided with a thumb notch c6.V When.the slide e5 is in the pot sition shown in F ign. of the drawing tlie notches or seats 3 in the -longer groove will be closed, and thus vthe ends of that particular' bar e of the back stop E in engagement.

therewith will be held therein, and the back stop E prevented from accidental displacement.

A compressing side stop F, is provided, to engage the mass of groups of envelops and documents in any particular compartment, and is adjustably mounted to be moved longitudinally to hold and clamp a-mass of documents or envelops less than thel compartment will hold, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The side stop F is made of wire and has a vertical member f and an angularly bent member f, and presents generally the shape of the Fig. 4:. At its upper end it is provided with 4a spring coil f2 embracing and adapted to slide upon a bar f3 and at its lower end the member f has an extension f4 which fits in` a longitudinally extending slot A6 in the bottom A of the case. The top Aof the case A2 has a-longitu- .dinally extending slot A7, above the bar B,

fvvhereby access is afforded to the coil f2 for the purpose of movingl the stop F along the bar f3, The stop is held 1n a clamping position against the contents of the case, vb the cramping of the coil f? upon the bar fz caused by the expansive pressure of the mass of envelo s and documents against the body of the si e stop. g

It will be noted that the side stop F provides for ,the automatic adjustment ofthe space occupied by the contents of the ease, as A an incident to the mere clamping of the con tents by the pressure of the side stop against .the end of the mass contained therein, thus jacent groups of envelops and documents,

Ithan would 'be afforded by the rods only, and such projection may be conveniently formed by bending the rod intermediate its ends into the form .of a loop or eye as shown. By thus forming the index rods a comparatively large contact between an envelop or document and the rod is provided, and thus the rod isadapted to support an envelop or document which when pushed back into the case might be too short to extend out to the line of the rods.

For the purpose of marking a particular point in the mass 'of documents and envelops, as for instance the place where one of them may have been removed for some purpose, ,and to insure its return to its proper place, there is provided a markenG complil'ising a bar having a long arm y, and a s ort arm g', and it is pivotally mounted upon a rod g2, extending along the front edge of the bottom of the case A', so that it may be freely moved'along said rod g2 to any point desired and its longer arm g inserted in the mass of envelops or documents as clearly shown. The marker may conveniently be formed of wire and bent to form the arms and the intermediate pivoted eye g3 all as clearly shown in the drawing.

While I have shown and described the case or frame A as made of wood, it will be obvious that it may be made of sheet metal or wire embodying the novel features as hereinbefore set forth, and a case or frame so made I regard sas within the scope of my invention. c

Having thus described `my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A file cabinet, comprising a casing open at the front, a bar extending along the to of said opening, a lurality of hooked ro s removably and sli ably supported on said bar and extending down in front of the opening, and guiding and retaining means for the lower ends of said rods, lwhereby the rods may be moved freely along the bar toward and from each other, to divide the contents of the cabinet into groups `of different sizes.

2. A file cabinet, comprising a casing open at the front, asid casing having horizontal parallel grooves in its ends and provided the casing, and means Jfor adjusta ly securing the bars in the grooves.

3. A le cabinet, comprising a casing open at the front, a back stop comprising parallel bars connected by transverse cross arms, longitudinal grooves in the inner faces of the ends of the casing provided with notches along one edge to receive the ends of the parallel bars, and a retaining slide in one of said grooves closing the notches therein and holding the back stop in adjusted position.

4. A file cabinet, comprising a casing. open at the front, a bar extending along the top of said opening, a slotted retaining guideway in the bottom of said casing below the bar, hooked rods supported on said bar, said rods being angularly bent at their lower end and passed into said slotted retaining guideway, and means for confining said rods in said guideway.

5. A le cabinet comprising a casing open at the front, laterally movable vertically extending rods spanning the opening, and a movable stop slidably mounted to engage and cm ress the contents of the cabinet.

ing parallel top and bottom members, said e cabinet, comprising a casing hav' casing being open at the front, a bar extendi along the opening at the top, a slot in the bottom member beneath said bar, rods supported on said bar and tted at their lower end in said slot, and means to removably secure the lower end of said rods in said slot.'

7. A le cabinet, comprising a casing open at the front and comprising arallel top and bottom members, a longitudinal slot in each of said members in vertical alinement with each other, a rod supported adjacent to the top and beneath the slot therein, and a compressing side stop mounted upon said rod and having an extension at its lower end tting the slot in the bottom member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J AMES WILLIAM PENNEWILL.

Witnesses:

I. W. DREIFUss, C. F. Rains. 

